


Happiness comes from our own actions.

by DarkWaterFalls



Category: Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Knowledge sharing, M/M, Magic, Pop Culture, Science, inventions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-15
Updated: 2013-12-15
Packaged: 2018-01-03 21:01:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1073005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkWaterFalls/pseuds/DarkWaterFalls
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for Frostiron Fest Gift Request #57, prompts one and two!</p><p>Promises are made, a deal is struck, and Loki gives Tony a powerful gift.<br/>Tony creates and sculpts wonders with Loki's help, but doesn't know if he'll be able to hold up his side of the bargain.<br/>What will Loki ask of him in return?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happiness comes from our own actions.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MokuK](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MokuK/gifts).



> Gift Request #57
> 
> Prompts
> 
> (1) mutual geekiness  
> (2) fireworks and mischief  
> (3) swapping armor
> 
> Likes: anything really. preferably light-hearted and slightly comedic. extra points for pop culture references and maybe loki actually understanding them! AU’s are nice.
> 
> Dislikes: not too much whump! or sickeningly sweet romance. no mpreg or emotional/mental manipulation or non/dubcon.
> 
> Hope this is acceptable, Merry Christmas! :D

Tony sneaks towards the cell on exaggerated tiptoe, in full view of the cameras and the inhabitant of the cell. The occupant rolls his eyes at the pantomime, stands up from his seat on the padded bench and moves towards the reinforced cell wall. Loki places his palms flat on the surface, allowing the manacles to scrape against the glass, and fixes a stare at Tony.

Tony stops mid-step, and holds himself in an exaggerated creeping pose for a few seconds before relaxing. He points a finger at Loki and says, “Quit staring like that, I usually need to get paid a lot of money before I allow people to look at me like that.”

Loki tilts his head, spreading his hands out – palms up - as far as the chain will let them in a show of silent acquiescence. As his mouth moves the muzzle bites at his skin and he suppresses a flinch. He doesn’t move much because, whenever he does, the metal reddens his face and irritates the skin on his jaw and cheeks. Healing it is a waste of energy, because once he moves the skin flares up again and he’s back in his original position. Lying down and breathing through the nose minimise the pain, but he is sinking more deeply into boredom with each passing hour.

Tony trots up to the glass and knocks at where Loki’s hand had sat a moment before. “Anyway, back to business. Hello, Lokester!”

Loki frowns at the intruder into his holding area. Since Thor left, none have came to see him. He is muzzled, so needs no food or water to sustain him and he has a small bathroom adjoined the cell for his use. That little thing pleases him; he doesn’t want to be let out like a pet to use the toilet.

But yes, no visitors and being watched like a hawk at all turns, cameras following his every move and every twitch. But this compact man suddenly appears, dancing along like he owns the place and both intriguing and irritating him to no end with his presence. Well, a distraction is not to be sniffed at.

Tony frowns back at Loki, his knuckles still and resting against the glass. “I didn’t really think this through, did I?” He asks. “I mean, the cameras are looping and I bypassed all the security locks to get in here, but I won’t be able to get that mask off you, will I?”

Loki raises his eyebrows at Tony; plans begin to coalesce together in his head and he is curious enough to entertain the mortal for a little while. He places a palm flat on the glass again, just beside Tony’s knuckles and begins to flicker his eyes between Tony’s hand and his palm on the glass.

Tony withdraws his hand in response and purses his lips in consideration. “Now, unlike the rest of SHIELD, I don’t believe that you’re here for any other reason than you want to be here. It’s the Helicarrier all over again. It’s written all over this situation, but they want shot of you soon so they’re willing to accept that you’re trapped, even if it is by your own design.” He points a finger at Loki and continues, “But I’m bored, can’t be bothered arguing the morality of this situation with myself any longer and this looks to be the only way I’ll get any answers out of you. So, okay.” Tony slaps his hand down on the opposite side of the glass to Loki.

The first thing Tony feels is a sensation like someone was trying to crawl under his skin. It is unpleasant and sparks twitches along his nerves, though he manages to keep his hand on the glass throughout. The next thing petrifies him and roots him to the spot. There is a cold chuckle at his ear, and a soft voice hisses out his name. “Stark.”

Tony pulls his hand back swiftly, shoving them both under his armpits in an attempt to still the spasms. He swears that he just felt a puff of warm air on his ear. Creepy, he thinks, that is too creepy. Tony glances up at Loki; he still has his hand on the glass and is staring at Tony in a patient manner. “That was terrifying, you know? I’m cold already from the flight and that just made me feel fucking worse.”

Loki just raises an eyebrow and starts rhythmically tapping his fingers on the glass, patiently waiting for Tony again. Tony paces in front of the glass, staring at Loki and starts rubbing at his scruffy beard. “So, yeah, you still have magic. Doesn’t change my initial hypothesis that you want to be here, just make my actions that little bit more stupid.” Tony stops, stares up into Loki’s eyes and continues. “I know you don’t have the magic stick anymore, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get into my head through other means.”

Loki rolls his eyes and places his palm flat again in invitation.

Tony eyes Loki’s hand steadily and says contemplatively, “Yeah, tricky magician bastard, I know. Maybe you’re just bored and I’m a new plaything.”

Loki’s eyes spark and he tilts his head to the side, as if to say ‘of course.’

Tony raises his hand again, holding it over the glass where Loki’s sits and considers, “Well, if you mind control me... try and at least ensure that I die happy. Y’know, after all the explode-y death shenanigans of today, you owe me that at least. In bed would be good, in bed with someone else would be better.” He slaps his palm down on the glass again quickly, before he changes his mind.

Tony feels the sensation again, tingling and spreading. It’s smoother this time around. Trailing warm and loose along his arms, up his spine and towards the base of his skull, like fingertips tracing each muscle group and jut of bone. It feels like liquid heat, a sudden rush of endorphins, as it settles into the base of his skull.

Loki’s eyes look like they are smiling as his voice whispers in Tony’s ear, “How would you feel if it was in bed with me Stark?”

Tony makes a small noise, torn between enjoyment and discomfort, and replies, “Don’t know if I’m able to take you up on that right now Sparky, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t go for the unhinged ones occasionally. It's like holding onto a firecracker, fantastic fun but can maim you with some ease.”

Another head tilt, inquisitive, and Loki steps closer to the glass yet again. His arms flush against the surface, and the heavy chain slowly scraping along with the movement. “Are you drunk Stark?”

Tony smiles at him, quick and sharp. “It’s my patented response to severe personal trauma.”

“Did I lead you to this? Lay you so low with the destruction of your home that you come here looking for... well. What are you looking for? Is it revenge? Forgiveness?” There is a small clink as the muzzle connects with the glass, and Loki’s eyes look bright with the fire of manipulation. “Or is it the desire for some measure of penance from a benevolent god?”

Tony laughs, harsh and bitter, with an undercurrent of feeling that he was currently trying to suppress. It was a cold thing, born of pain, fear and loss. It was something that shouldn’t see the light of day, something that could break a person if they let it loose. Tony lowers and shakes his head, muttering quietly, knowing Loki will hear, “Don’t you ever think that you would be worthy of this kind of reaction from me. You could destroy everything I own, rip down everything I have built and you wouldn’t get this reaction from me.” 

Tony raises his head again and glares at Loki, his gaze sharp as flint and his expression suddenly blatantly broken and dangerous; Loki doesn’t show it, but a sliver of ice slides down his spine. Very rarely does he feel wary in response to a mortal, but this one has managed it more than once. This he can work with, this he can shape for his own use. “So then why are you here? You feel like you’re half wrecked, you feel liquid like molten metal and burning just as surely. What do you need, what can I provide?”

Tony shakes his head again; denial plain in his face as he shoves whatever is sitting beneath his skin down. “What I want from you right now is a distraction,” he says. “A story and something to occupy me, whether it’s the colour change in your eyes over the last few hours or the explanation of your fall through the void, I want something.”

Loki turns his head, staring into the distance as he considers. “A bargain then,” he rumbles quietly, “But since you ignored my queries, I will ignore yours.” Loki rests his forehead on the glass, staring at Tony. “Information, I can give you that easily.”

Tony considers the offer, surprise clears his face and he focuses on Loki’s hand on the opposite side of the glass. “Just an exchange of information?” He asks.

Loki nods, “With a promise that neither will misuse the knowledge gathered to harm unduly or further their race unacceptably quickly.”

Tony’s lip quirks in a smile, and he says, “A failsafe encase I misuse something? Or a reassurance that I can tell you things?”

“I am in enough trouble with Asgard already, and my word will hold us both bound to our promises.” Loki’s voice says in his ear, the skin around his eyes wrinkling slightly as he appears to smile.

Tony considers it for a moment, before asking, “What will you give me then?”

Something flickers in Loki’s eyes, as his voice whispers, “Magic. How it works, how it can be manipulated.”

Tony snorts, trying to hide his intrigue. “A History of Magic.”

“Bathilda I am not, but I can at least give you an overview.”

Tony laughs, his fingers almost slipping from the glass in surprise at his mirth. He swallows his chortles to nod at Loki, and says, “Okay, okay, I’ll accept that. What do you want in return?”

“A promise,” Loki says, “A promise of information in the future. I have no need of anything right now, but I may in days to come.”

Tony smirks and asks, “So I’m trading my curiosity for a possible place as a card in your life’s poker game?”

Loki nods, “And a high value card at that.”

Tony purses his lips and mulls over the offer, aware of the small pleasure brought by the compliment. “Is your previous stipulation about misuse still in place?”

Loki considers and then says, “Yes, for the most part. But if there is an utmost need, if I explain truthfully my intentions, would I be able to use your information?”

Tony nods, “Yeah. That sounds reasonable.”

“Good. If we are in agreement, please repeat after me: Bound by flesh and bound by bone...”

Tony grimaces and replies. “This probably falls into the category of bad decisions, but... Bound by flesh and bound by bone.”

“I accept that which is not my own.”

“I accept that which is not my own.”

As Tony utters the last syllable, a rush of energy starts to gather strength behind his eyes. It’s bright, but he can’t see it. It’s a flaring burn, but all he can feel is warmth. It fills his mind and settles into every corner of his being. When he opens his eyes Loki is doing his eye-smiling expression again.

“The agreement itself is binding by your consent, that last part was an agreement to let me into your mind. I thought you’d appreciate an information download rather than sitting for an age at a desk in the stuffy Asgardian library.” Loki says with an amused tone in his voice. “The candlelight always gave me a headache.”

Tony blinks quickly, breathing deeply and slowly. Everything in the room suddenly appears a little too bright; Loki himself is emitting a faint green glow. It suits him, Tony thinks. He takes another deep breath, savouring the feel of it opening his chest and nods at Loki and says, “Yeah, thanks.”

Loki’s eyes take on a sad tilt as he watches Tony. “You may want to leave, you’ve lingered long enough.” His hand slips from the inside of the glass cell, and he turns back to his bench again.

Tony still has his hand on the glass. He starts to see how the world appears to Loki, and something in him mourns the idea of losing him and his insight into Tony’s new information. Everything appears in a new light, and Tony already senses a change in the knowledge he holds, feels it shifting and morphing with the new insights settling into his mind. He feels like he could extend a hand and pluck out new information from the air, like the drawers of his mind are full and he is an errant child again on the lookout for entertainment. He has a lot to examine once he gets home. “Thank you, I do mean it. Thank you.” As Tony says it, it feels like nothing, but it’s all he can give right now.

Loki just turns his head from where he lies on the bench and nods in Tony’s direction, giving a small wave of his hand as a goodbye.

\---

When Thor returns with news of Loki’s death on the cold and dark plains of a foreign world, Tony murmurs his condolences along with everyone else. But he’s acutely aware that he has lost something that could have been very useful to him.

He’d been waiting for Loki, waiting for him to return and claim his promised exchange. He’d plotted and planned, set out diagrams and theorems based on the information he’d received. He has questions that have been left unanswered, queries that only Loki could rectify. He might as well ask them to the moon after this turn of events.

So he starts to build, constructing from his new information and tries to suppress his desire to discuss everything. He wants to do so, but he can’t trust anyone else with the knowledge. It was given to him and him alone.

\---

Tony looks up from the bowels of his current project, feeling something tickling at the back of his neck. It’s little more than awareness, getting more and more insistent by the second. He sweeps his eyes around the lab, before coming to rest on the figure sitting cross-legged on a table to his left.

It’s undignified, but Tony jumps and shouts, causing the figure to laugh heartily at the sight.

Loki swings his legs down from the table and leans forward to speak, “Honestly Stark, I was wondering how long it would take you to realise I was here.”

Tony grins sheepishly, wiping off his hands on a cloth and throwing it at Loki before asking, “So, what? You thought that psychically blowing on the back of my neck was the best course of action?”

Loki dodges the cloth, smiles winsomely at Tony and gestures to the machine. “I was only attempting to figure out what you were doing before I distracted you from it.”

“You could’ve just tapped me on the shoulder.” Tony groused, stepping away from the bench and heading towards the lab coffee machine.

Loki just slides off the table and follows Stark to the kitchenette. “I could have, but where is the fun in that?” Loki perches again on the end of the kitchen top as Tony brews coffee, refusing silently as Tony offers a mug to him. He crosses his ankles and starts to swing his legs as Tony pours himself a fresh dose from the carafe. Tony watches him as Loki sweeps his eyes around the workshop, he looks well. Almost unfairly good if Tony’s honest, he’s miles better than when Tony saw him last. Well rested, well fed. Not beaten to a pulp and broken apart by the edges of his shattered plans. Out of armour, he looks different. Loki could probably pass for some fresh faced student with what he was wearing right now. Soft boots on his feet, what seems to be standard Asgardian black breeches, and a tailored shirt that bears all the hallmarks of being of earthly origin. As Tony had thought already, unfairly good.

Tony places the mug down briefly while he grabs one of his tall, spindly-looking, high backed kitchen stools to sit on. He then plonks his feet down with aplomb beside Loki, who just silently glares at them. Tony just smirks and takes another gulp of his coffee. Tony grin starts to loosen under Loki’s stare, until he’s smiling softly and finally saying, “It’s my kitchen Sparky, my tower, I can put my feet wherever I want.”

Loki’s eyes slide from Tony’s booted feet, up his leg and around his knee. Tony almost feels like he can sense Loki’s gaze as it traces his inner thigh, rests lightly on the crotch of his work jeans and continues its journey upwards. His eyes trace the skin visible through the rip in his tank top, and then follows the grease smears up to Tony’s neck and then to his grubby face. It can’t have taken more than five seconds, but Tony is surprised by how it affects him. It’d be undignified to blush, please don’t blush, Tony tells himself. He covers it up by clearing his throat, asking and gesturing towards Loki, “This isn’t something I was expecting, who did you have to kill to get this gift packet? You’re looking much better than the last time I saw you.”

Loki smiles brilliantly at the suggestion, leaning towards Tony with his head in his hand and his elbow on his knee. “I didn’t really have to kill anyone, at least not anyone I wasn’t expected or asked to. I fulfilled a promise and then was able to make my escape. The fact that they don’t know I have escaped is a very large positive point at the moment. Do you have any idea how hard it is to realm travel while the royal mages are bearing down upon you?”

Tony processed the question with a small smile and said, “I can take a guess, given the super compressed data package you gave me.” 

Loki sits up straight again, hooking himself into a cross-legged position again and giving Tony a sly and interested smile. “Go ahead,” he challenges.

Tony licks his lips and thinks, don’t rush and don’t fuck this up. He takes a deep breath and starts to talk, “Hypothetically speaking... If the pull is strong enough you can drain an area of usable magic, not completely, but enough to render most things undoable though magical means. You can’t remove every magical trace without causing sterility of the area and increasing the rate of natural decay of objects, but you can remove almost all traces. You’d have to come back and periodically renew the spell, as all magic is self propagating and will repopulate an empty area given time, but it can be done.”

A small, but visible, shudder goes through Loki as he remembers. “Anything else?” he rasps quietly, voice thick with memory.

Tony lowers his eyes to his mug, tracing the rim and considering the emotional minefield before him before he speaks again, voice impersonal and pained, “You can easily do it to a person, but I imagine it’d be quite painful and need to be regularly redone.” He slides his eyes up and meets Loki’s and watches as Loki nods softly.

Loki has nothing to fidget with, so he clasps his hands together and says, sotto voce, “They held me down the first time, but let the manacles continue the spell afterwards.” Loki stares at his fingers, the knuckles a stark white as he clenches them. He lets out a breath and slowly starts to loosen his grip. “Leaving the cell was like learning I could breathe after drowning,” he says, tone more normal, “I do not want to subject myself to that again.”

Tony follows Loki’s lead and attempts to lighten his tone, “So, not dead then?”

Loki’s wry smile of thanks lights up his face, making his tone softer and happier as he answers the question. “I can confirm that rumours of my demise have been greatly exaggerated,” he says.

Tony shakes his finger at Loki, chuckling slightly, “You do know that the guy that quote is attributed to didn’t actually say it?”

Raising an eyebrow, Loki answers, “You cannot deny that it is still a great line.”

“True, very true.” Tony says as he drops his legs from the counter and moves to refill his mug. “I still wanna know how you did it.”

Loki grins, and Tony feels a breath on the back of his neck and a rumbling murmur of, “maybe one day, if you earn it.”

Tony makes a small noise, almost an admission of desire, but it is choked off before it becomes anything else. He clears his throat slightly, turning back to find Loki still perched on the counter, smiling beatifically.

Loki slides from his seat, booted feet hitting the floor lightly and says, “I could have hardly uttered a line like ‘I’ll be back’ whilst dying in my brother’s arms, could I?”

Tony chokes on a mouthful of coffee, surprised by the perfection of the impression. Loki laughs, bright and clear, at the reaction. “Okay, point conceded, that was fantastic.” Tony says, mopping his face and front as he cleared up the coffee he spilt. He gestures with the towel towards Loki, “How did you catch up on so many of our modern references?”

Loki gives a non-committal shrug. “Barton has an obsession with what he calls ‘prime time action’ films. Doctor Selvig called them low grade trash; I found them interesting, but highly unlikely.” 

Tony snorts his laughter, the information shedding new light on the fact that Clint had been pushing for a re-watch of the Bourne films recently. ‘Cultural Exposure’ for Steve, his ass. “And Harry Potter...?”

Loki stills, mouth thinning and whitening as he clenches his jaw. He glances to the floor before murmuring, “I have always read a lot, both before the invasion and after my imprisonment.” 

Deciding to brush the heavy moment aside for the look on Loki’s face, Tony asks, “So, book reviews aside, what do I owe for this unexpected pleasure of a visit?”

Loki’s head snaps up and his grin appears again, sly and sleek, with mischief dancing in his eyes, “I’m checking up on an investment,” he says, gesturing at Tony’s workbench and asks, “Would you please show me what you’re doing?”

“I’m an investment now, am I?” Tony’s answering grin is just as sharp, excited to have an audience that will understand. “Gladly,” he says, “You have no idea how happy I would be to finally explain this.”

\---

Loki’s visits are frequent, if shorter than Tony would like. At least once weekly, allowing enough time to thoroughly explore one of Tony’s magic-based creations and chatter over the possible improvements and pitfalls of each. Tony’s heart grows several sizes each time he sees Loki intrigued by what he has done, the praise falling from Loki’s lips is unexpected and makes him realise how much he had missed showing people his inventions. In the current climate it was unsafe, business-wise and magical secrecy-wise.

There is a magic-augmented emergency scanner, which is able to tally and calculate blood and tissue injury as it scans, before targeting and administering the best course of treatment. Loki is impressed, but worries that the relative fragility of the current model and difficulty of manufacture means that it may be difficult to replicate for commercial use. 

It’s during this demonstration that Tony identifies the feeling of Loki’s magic. He’s been quantifying over time, unknowingly, collecting each little sensation whenever he’s around Loki. When he appears in the workshop Tony always gets the ethereal sensation of someone breathing on the back of his neck. When he feels and hears a small rush of sound and air, it makes him smile. He always looks down to see that a fresh cup of coffee has appeared by his hand, or a sandwich. Every time it happens he quickly shoots Loki a warm smile and then goes back to waving a diagram or making another point. 

After some planning and discussion about relative safeties or the tower and the importance of the security of Tony’s work, Tony get’s a pleasant surprise. Loki conjures some metallic material for him to use as blast and magic shielding for Jarvis’s new server case. Tony could smell the magic in the air for hours afterwards. He still thinks that his fingers tingle occasionally when touching things that Loki has touched, but he doesn’t know whether that is magic or his imagination. He’s imagining that Loki is leaving parts of himself with Tony; gifting Tony things to watch over him and remind him of Loki when he can’t be there himself.

Loki is back soon enough though, fingers tracing the details of his radiation treatment and decontamination processes. It garners a fantastic reaction; Loki spills questions as he examines Tony’s copious notes. Loki tells Tony that Asgard had given up on using radioactive power sources millennia before his birth, explaining that they could not justify an energy process that they couldn’t feasibly make safe afterwards. Radiation apparently had the same harsh effect on Aesir as it did on humans, but because they were so long lived they were unwilling to risk such lasting damage. Tony just comments that if you go by Loki, the Aesir are dangerous enough, even without atomic weapons or power. The glare Loki gives him chills his heart and sends unknown tremors through his chest, making the old scar tissue burn.

As the weeks slip by, Loki starts to tease Tony more readily. At first it is soft, and then with more humour as Tony banters back easily. Loki bemoans the fact that Tony’s inventions are ignoring the spirit of Loki’s gift, the spirit of mischief and joyfulness. Tony’s hesitance to answer that worries Loki, and it isn’t long before Tony is slumped and explaining his story and why he feels like he has to give so much back, how he feels like he owes so much to the planet. The story of the reactor spills from him, unexpected, unwanted and unbidden. The guilt he cannot purge for the sake of the blood he feels is still on his hands, even after all this time. Loki’s hands twitch towards him from the other side of the workbench, wanting to comfort, but Tony waves him away before Loki can move.

Loki stays at his side of the bench for a little while after Tony signalled him away, not moving an inch. Tony has his breathing mostly under control when he looks up to Loki again, before he gasps in shock. Loki’s stance is closed, arms folded closed and chin tucked down. But that isn’t the first thing Tony notices. Loki is blue. He is a perfect cornflower blue in colour, with raised markings all over his face. His eyes open at Tony’s gasp, revealing the crystalline red, a sharp contrast to his skin.

Loki pulls his hands out from under his arms, flexing them and staring at them, concentrating hard. The blue begins to fade, slowly at first, but with gathering pace. At first it starts at the fingertips, moving down his hands, down his wrists and then up his arms, before the pink creeps back up his neck. Loki gives a wry chuckle, before clearing his throat and saying, “You are not the only one who has things to hide from the other.”

Once the blue had faded, but before Loki has completely recovered from the shock following the disclosure of his identity, Tony offers, “D’you want to see the reactor?”

Tony doesn’t feel like it’s much of a peace offering, but the look on Loki’s face makes him feel like he’s just offered him the most important gift in the world.

They establish an easy equilibrium after some more mutual explanations; Loki becomes more honest when he speaks to Tony and Tony accepts more criticism and input from Loki. They begin to articulate their reasoning behind decisions more, there is less ‘I want’ and more ‘I would like’ and occasionally an ‘I need’. The tone between them changes and their attitudes towards each other change too, the two items acting out a chicken and egg scenario in Tony’s head as he tries to figure out which is more significant.

Tony begins to worry as time goes on. His stack of plans, prototypes and blueprints are dwindling rapidly, faster than he can replenish them. If he is unable to show Loki any more, will Loki leave? The more he thinks about it, the more panicked by the idea he becomes. He wants Loki to keep coming back, to stay longer. If Tony becomes uninteresting, will Loki leave? Or will Loki stay until Tony fulfils his promise?

Tony can only ask him to stay and hope for the best. So Tony starts planning the perfect proposal, a proposal of partnership and prolonged visiting hours. He sweeps everything else aside and starts work on something that will hopefully fulfil Loki’s joyfulness parameters for the information he gave to Tony.

\---

Tony is excited the next time Loki arrives, he’s finished his project and wants to confirm that Loki will be there when he shows it off. It’s a project-slash-birthday present for Steve, but Tony can easily get away with nipping off to meet Loki under the guise of getting it ready for display.

Loki smiles happily at the request, nodding his agreement readily. “I am more than able to do that,” he says excitedly, “I will need to forgo our meeting in the week beforehand, but I would love to see what you have came up with.”

Tony punches the air in happiness and then gestures to Loki to proceed towards their regular workbench. He tries to settle a hand on the small of Loki’s back as he walks along beside him, but Loki dodges the hand easily, winking as he turns and smothering the flicker of rejection that flares to life in Tony’s chest. Loki’s eyes have that molten spark in them again, and Tony’s heart feels light as he considers how often Loki gifts him with that look.

Tony pulls out today’s blueprints and swatches of his experimental fabric and starts to explain. This project is one of his more promising, one of the most marketable and possibly one of the easiest to manufacture too. Tony’s pretty proud of it as he explains. He’s created a new type of fabric, moulded it at the molecular level. It’s lightweight, easily washable and readily dyeable. But, most importantly, it can be imbued with magical properties. It can be made insulating for very cold climates, hardwearing enough to be made into flexible shoes and – the modification he is most proud of – strong enough to block a bullet or a knife.

Once Tony has finished talking, enthusing how it will change security force uniforms the world over, he notices how quiet Loki has been. “Loki?” he asks, his tone enquiring.

Loki is slouched over, rubbing the security fabric between two of his fingers and staring hard at the diagram of the molecular make up of the cloth. He startles slightly at the sound of Tony’s voice, looks up and then responds with a soft hum of tone, questioning the disturbance.

“What’s wrong?” Tony asks him, apprehension in his voice. He’s never seen Loki like this before, even at his most broken he never looked this defeated.

Loki does not meet Tony’s eyes, he just continues to rub the fabric for a second, before answering, his voice controlled. “It is truly a fantastic discovery, something that has not even been considered possible in Asgard. It will save many lives and you should be commended for your genius in developing it.”

Tony steps around the table towards Loki, moving slowly so not to startle him, and stops beside his hunched figure. “That didn’t answer my question.” He softly states.

Loki straightens up, laying his hand flat on the fabric, his head still dipped down towards the table and his hair falling forward to hide his face. His voice weakens even further, and Tony has to lean in and strain to catch the words. “I cannot understand why I would not have considered this before, how could I have been so blind to this possibility?”

Tony considers his options. Asgard isn’t something that they have touched on, but Tony can tell that it’s something that Loki has been unwilling to discuss. “Is it Frigga?” Tony asks softly, “Thor told me what happened.” He finished, feeling inadequate in his phrasing. Words couldn’t do justice to the reaction that he’d seen from Thor when they were discussing the brief war between Asgard and the Dark Elves.

Loki jumps as if shocked; twisting his head to look at Tony faster than Tony thought was possible. Loki’s eyes are filled with tears, threatening to spill over, and his breath is coming in short pants. He blinks his eyes closed, attempts to regulate his breathing and the tears begin to roll down his cheeks.

“Oh, Loki.” Tony murmurs, making a split-second decision. His hand is up - bridging the unspoken gap between them - and reaching to brush the tears from Loki’s cheek. As his hand touches skin, he feels the buzz of magic up his spine again.

Loki’s eyes open, shock plain on his face. Then he disappears, dissolving into the air and leaving Tony standing behind with his hand raised, the hum of magic still reverberating down his spine and the feel of Loki’s skin under his fingertips.

Tony closes his hand slowly and then sinks to the floor, an inescapable sense of loss settling into his chest. Loki was never here to begin with.

\---

Tony had set up the fireworks quietly on the evening before Steve’s birthday. They’re installed on top of a Stark Industries building in New York, a perfect distance from the tower. He doesn’t need to do much other than push the button when the time comes, but he excuses himself from the party on Steve’s level of the tower under the grounds of needing to prepare. He locks off all entrances to his level and makes himself comfortable.

He sets off the display at 11pm on the dot, precisely fifteen minutes after he’d asked Loki to arrive. He watches as the patterns spread across the sky, lingering for longer than usual fireworks and showing much more intricate detail. No noise, no pollution, no smoke, just a perfectly balanced and executed display. He’s particularly proud of the fireworks set he’d created to represent each Avenger, intricate details and colours that mingled and swirled together over the course of minutes to display their combined sign. The single character design that they’d agreed on to represent them as a group.

Tony’s arms are slumped by his sides and he holds his scotch glass by the tips of his fingers as he finally starts to relax. He’d had a drink to calm his nerves in case of Loki arriving, and had a second to squash the disappointment once he’d realised he’d be watching the display alone. He considers collapsing onto the sofa behind him to watch the display, but he just clutches the glass tighter instead.

As the final lights fade into the night sky and he closes his eyes, he hears the soft tread of a boot behind him. He opens his eyes at the light pressure of fingertips against his free hand, and as he turns Loki laces his fingers into his. The glass smashes to the floor as Tony flings himself at Loki, wrapping an arm around his waist and burying his face into Loki’s neck. He’d felt none of the usual signs of Loki’s arrival, but none of that matters.

Loki’s arms come up around him, wrapping around him and pulling him close. Loki presses his face into Tony’s hair and murmurs platitudes and apologies as Tony presses kisses into Loki’s neck. Loki feels the heat of his desire for Tony, stamped down over these last few months, rise and strike suddenly. He slides a hand into Tony’s hair, marvelling at the softness, the smell of things he can finally touch and tilts Tony’s head up so his lips can meet Loki’s own.

The kiss starts soft, questioning and learning. There is a devastating pressure, swift movement and heat, before they both open up and taste what they desire from each other. A hint of teeth has Loki’s heart pounding and moment of suction and then release has Tony moaning into Loki’s mouth. They barely pause for breath, both of them chasing, wanting more from each other. 

Tony pulls himself back slightly and glares at Loki, “What time to you call this?” he squawks.

Loki smiles, hand coming up to cup Tony’s face. “Much later that I had intended to be,” he answers.

Tony leans into the hand, his expression softening easily. “Do you mean tonight, or just in general?”

Loki chuckles, presses a soft kiss to the side of Tony’s eye and slides down to whisper into Tony’s ear. “I am so unused to the idea of people wanting to touch me, wanting me. I always sent a shade ahead of me, instead of me, believing it would suffice. I should have known that it would never be enough for you. I convinced myself each time, told myself I shouldn’t risk rejection by coming myself. For if I was truly here, how could I resist you? How could I resist touching you each time you smiled or laughed? How could I continue to convince myself that it was enough to stay away and want you from afar?”

With a soft growl, Tony bites softly at the edge of Loki’s jaw and Loki’s admissions trail off with a strangled sigh. Tony’s teeth scrape along as he sets to making his mark below Loki’s ear. He steers Loki towards the sofa, sliding down together in a controlled fall into a tangle of limbs on the cushions, chuckling together as elbows and knees get in the way. Tony’s hands slide down; one makes its way underneath Loki’s shirt, starting to map by touch the skin and bone he’d been coveting before by sight alone, and the other setting to loosening the laces on Loki’s breeches. He nips at Loki’s throat and Loki’s soft gasps and the hand clenched in his hair spur him on. He wraps a hand around Loki’s length and slowly begins to stroke, picking up pace quickly. He looks up into Loki’s eyes and whispers to him, “Stay. Stay with me, please. I need you here, and then it’ll be enough.”

Loki nods frantically, and pulls Tony towards him to kiss him and seal his promise. His promise is moaned against Tony’s lips, spills forth between gasps and is punctuated by the rolling of his hips. Loki’s hands wander across Tony’s face and begin to undo Tony’s shirt, to trace any skin he can touch. “I will stay, for forever and a day if you’ll have me. As long as you want me, as long as you need me, I will be here. I will stay, I promise to stay.”

Tony’s lips slide down Loki’s neck again, teeth scraping against skin, before he bites into Loki’s shoulder. The effect is instantaneous, Loki is arching against Tony’s body, coming into Tony’s hand and a shout of Tony’s name is wrenched from his lips. As Loki slowly comes back to himself, Tony wipes his hand off on his shirt, and considers the exhausted aftermath of Loki lying before him. 

Before he knows it, Loki’s eyes have flickered open and he’s pulling Tony down on top of him, hands taking off again to wander under Tony’s clothes.

Tony pulls Loki close, catching one of his hands as they traverse his chest and placing a kiss on the knuckles. Loki’s eyes flutter closed and he sighs at the soft touch. They make themselves more comfortable, kicking off shoes and burrowing close together. They slide legs together, grind closer to each other as Loki hardens again, but everything goes much more slowly this time. They share soft kisses and exploring hands set a comfortable pace for them both to enjoy.

Tony breaks the silence first, “I have a question...”

“Hmmm...?” is Loki’s response.

“What information did you want from me?” He asks, “So I can be prepared when it comes.” So I can figure out how much time I have left with you, he thinks, how long I can keep you.

Loki’s eyes slide open, blissfully relaxed and the spark of desire beginning to flare up again. “Nothing.” He answers.

Tony frowns, “What?”

Loki’s hand rises to smooth his fingers over Tony’s furrowed brow; he smiles as Tony presses lips to his wrist as it moves. “You fulfilled it already. I wanted to know what you’d done, you told me freely and willingly.”

Tony’s confusion only deepens after that remark, “Then why make a deal in the first place?”

Loki smiles at Tony. “I needed you to trust me, trust my motives. The binding was the easiest way. Do you know why I did it in the first place?” he asks Tony, who shakes his head. “You had so much potential, as powerful and untameable as a forest fire. I’m fascinated by you and what you can do, and I continue to be so as long as I am around you.”

Tony leans in and kisses him; it’s a kiss of thanks and joy, of promise and excitement. He pulls back and lays his chin on Loki’s chest, before saying, “Well, I work best with a captive audience. Especially one as attentive as you.”


End file.
